Broadband News

Tue, 31st May 2011

Conroy launches Digital Economy Strategy

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has today unveiled the government's Digital Economy Strategy, which is aimed at improving Australia's broadband penetration ahead of the completion of the $35.9 billion National Broadband Network roll-out in 2020.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NICTA, CSIRO sign MOU with NBN Co for access to NBN test sites

National ICT Australia has confirmed it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and NBN Co, granting NICTA and the CSIRO access to National Broadband Network test sites to conduct research and testing of high-speed broadband applications.

Source: Computerworld

Labor pumps $70m in NBN, digital economy

The Gillard government has announced a $70 million spending package to promote the $36 billion National Broadband Network and the digital economy.

Source: Australian IT

iiTrial costs back before Federal Court

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) will press for a revised ruling on costs when it fronts the full bench of the Federal Court Wednesday in its continuing copyright stoush with ISP iiNet.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 30th May 2011

Men jailed for pulling a fast one on Telstra

Two men who defrauded Telstra in a mobile phone-selling scam worth hundreds of thousands of dollars have been jailed.

Source: ZDNet Australia

New iiNet initiative spreads awareness about cyber security

Australia's second largest DSL service provider, iiNet, has launched an online safety series to help Australians become more aware of safe practices when surfing the Web.

Source: ARN

Internode founder joins FiRe entrepreneur ranks

Internode founder and managing director, Simon Hackett, has taken out the Future in Review (FiRe) 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year award in the US, for his work in telecommunications.

Source: Computerworld

Opinion: The NBN must end the telco blame game

The build of a National Broadband Network presents a real opportunity to end the blame game between retail ISPs and their wholesale provider, which today tends to be Telstra.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 27th May 2011

Qualcomm: LTE not a replacement for 3G

There has been a lot of momentum around 4G LTE networks for high-speed mobile broadband data transfer but that doesn't mean it will be a supplant existing 3G networks, according to Qualcomm South-East Asia and Pacific president, John Stefanac.

Source: ARN

ACMA eyes single LTE spectrum auction

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has indicated it intends to hold a single auction of 700 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum targeted at mobile broadband services next year.

Source: iTnews Australia

EFTel predicts $2.2m annual wholesale windfall

ISP EFTel has revealed expected savings of up to $184,000 a month in wholesale costs if it succeeds in merging with ClubTelco.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wireless, satellite not second-rate NBN solutions: AIIA

The use of wireless and satellite technology under the National Broadband Network (NBN) should not be regarded as a second-rate solution for regional and remote Australia, a Senate Estimates session has been told.

Source: Computerworld

Builders stung by Telstra NBN cost

The rollout of the National Broadband Network in greenfields estates threatens to increase the price of new homes.

Source: Australian IT

Thu, 26th May 2011

Reps NBN enquiry wraps up consultation phase

The House of Representatives Infrastructure and Communications Committee's  inquiry into the role and potential of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will hold its final public hearing in Canberra tomorrow 27 May.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co outlines criteria for satellite access

Australians in rural and remote areas will be subject to a service qualification process in order to use the NBN Co's Interim Satellite Service.

Source: Computerworld

More ISPs to block child abuse online

Webshield and ItsXtreme will join three of Australia's largest ISPs to voluntarily block child abuse web pages.

Source: Australian IT

NBN Co calls for satellite broadband ISPs

NBN Co has called for expressions of interest from ISPs wanting to offer broadband products on the company's interim satellite service.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy trusts public's view on what to filter

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon said that he trusts Australians to get the mix of content to be blocked under Labor's controversial mandatory internet filter project right, and that the government remains committed to the initiative.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra pressures ACMA to speed up clearance of 700MHz spectrum

Telstra has called for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to expedite the process of auctioning off the 700MHz spectrum so high demands for mobile data capacity can be met.

Source: ARN

ACMA eyes mobile broadband spectrum gaps

The communications regulator is scrambling to give top priority to fixing anticipated shortages in mobile broadband spectrum.

Source: Australian IT

Samsung Galaxy S II is Australia's first HSPA+ smartphone

When Samsung launches the Galaxy S II on the Telstra Next G network in the coming weeks, it will become the first HSPA+ compatible device, capable of downlink speeds of up to 21Mbps.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN 2.6 million times too slow, says Alan Jones

Radio shock jock Alan Jones appears to have gotten his technologies a little confused, in an analysis this week of how a new data speed record set by scientists in Germany might affect the National Broadband Network.

Source: iTWire

NBN could deliver 10 Gbps in five years

Australians connected to the National Broadband Network could receive peak speeds of up to 10 Gbps within five years through upgrades to the gigabit passive optical network (GPON) network, according to NBN Co.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 25th May 2011

Getting the picture via broadband

Sydney primary school students dismember a giant 3D human brain with children in Japan over a high-definition video link.

Source: Australian IT

NBN Co: 26Tbps record proves fibre right

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has heralded the results of a German experiment that achieved a record data transfer rate of 26 terabytes per second (Tbps) over a single fibre optic cable, stating that this demonstrates the longevity of the technology.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCAN calls on carriers and regulator to end mobile data rip-off

Peak telco consumer body ACCAN has called on Optus and Vodafone to follow Telstra and stop ripping off customers who inadvertently exceed their mobile data limits. ACCAN has also demanded that the Australian Communications Media Authority to put some regulatory teeth into protecting mobile data consumers.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co goes cock-a-hoop over super fast German fibre test

NBN Co has used the results of a new super fast fibre transmission test in Germany to highlight the superiority of fibre and justify the current $36 billion NBN project.

Source: iTWire

Cisco adds IPv6 migration features to routers

Cisco this week rolled out products and services designed to ease the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 for enterprise customers.

Source: Computerworld

NBN asks contractors 'to do impossible'

Leighton Holdings chief executive David Stewart has accused NBN Co of setting unrealistic expectations for contractors.

Source: Australian IT

Telstra to throttle over-quota mobile broadband services

Telstra is to start throttling mobile broadband services once customers hit their data quota, instead of the current practice of charging high rates for over quota data.

Source: iTWire